| Abrasives: Choosing the Right Abrasive Materials |
Abrasives are man made products meant to smooth, remove paint, or reshape everything from metals to wood. Sandpaper is one of the best-known abrasives today, available in every market. Anyone wanting to make construction a career will need to learn to choose abrasives correctly and will need to handle a wide range of abrasives for different jobs.
There are many types of abrasives that can be used in construction. Steel shot, for example, is often used for tempering harder materials such as metal. Garnet has hard, sharp edges that makes it ideal for finishing wood. Abrasives made of glass beads are often used for precision work, while abrasives made of Silicon Carbide (a solution of silicon and carbon) are often ideal for wood. Abrasives made of Corundum are often used for woods, plastics, and steel, while abrasives made of aluminum oxide are almost always used for wood. Temperature, age, and moisture of a surface can all affect how a surface reacts to abrasives. For this reason, it is important to choose abrasives with care and always test-run them on a small surface area first. Whether you are using abrasives to finish, roughen, smooth, weather, strip, or alter a surface, always begin with a finer grade before working up to rougher grades. End with a softer grade of abrasive for a smooth surface.
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